Asura's Wrath
Asura's Wrath (アスラズ ラース Asurazu Rāsu?) is an action video game collaboration between CyberConnect2 and Capcom that was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2010. It was developed to be released in Japan, North America, and Europe for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was released on February 21, 2012 in North America and February 24, 2012 in Europe. Plot Asura was once one of the Eight Guardian Generals, eight godly warriors who fought to protect Heaven and Earth from a destructive force called the Gohma. Returning from a victorious battle, Asura was summoned to the Emperor's throne. To his horror, Asura finds the Emperor has been murdered and he has been accused of the crime. After escaping vengeful imperial forces, Asura rushes home to protect his family, to find his wife dead and his daughter, Mithra, kidnapped. In his rage, Asura finds his former allies who hold Mithra captive. As the god charges to save his child, Asura is repulsed by the god Deus, who reveals himself to be the Emperor's murderer so he can bring about what he calls "The Great Rebirth". Weakened by Deus' attacks, Asura is dropped over the edge of the platform and falls to Earth while swearing to exact vengeance. Twelve millennia later, Asura escapes from the depths of Naraka to find that his former comrades, now dubbed "The Seven Deities", have been using Mithra's power to amplify their own to god-like levels. During his quest for love and vengeance, Asura will confront and battle the forces of Heavens, packs of the Gohma, Divine Battleship fleets, and other tremendous obstacles. Gameplay Players take control of Asura, with each chapter in the game playing out like an episode of an anime series. The game incorporates various gameplay elements, which require the player to build up a meter at the top of the screen which will allow them to activate a 'Burst' which allows them to progress through the story. Whilst the game mainly features cinematic sequences which feature quick time events, there are various different types of gameplay available. Examples include players fighting one on one against opponents, or dodging enemy fire in shoot 'em up sections. Later in the game, Yasha is able to be taken control and fights Lord Deus cause. Music The game's original soundtrack is scored by Chikayo Fukuda, and was released on March 7. A track listing has been provided in Japanese. Kaoru Wada composed the main theme, "In Your Belief." The vocalised version is sung by Tomoyo Mitani is featured only in the Japanese dub of the game, whereas any other language uses the instrumental version of the song. Development According to the game's producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, "Asura's Wrath takes elements from Hindu mythology and blends them with science fiction. In the game, Asura is a demigod fighting to reclaim his daughter from the deities who kidnapped her and banished him from earth." Unlike most action games where you can level up and acquire new abilities, Tsuchiya says, "Asura's fighting style will change according to the story. Asura's fighting styles are all predicated from the dramatic story or beats within the game. At certain points in the game, if Asura gets extremely angry, you might see him fight with six arms. At even later points in the game, Asura might get beat down and lose most of his arms." A playable demo was released on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on January 10, 2012. Reception The game has been positively received by the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. The magazine gave the game scores of 10, 10, 9, and 9, each out of 10, adding up to a total of 38 out of 40. American reception of Asura's Wrath has been mixed yet positive, with most saying that it was more of an "interactive anime" than a game. IGN gave it a 7.5, praising its visuals, cutscenes, and the simple-but-fun gameplay, but criticizing the emphasis on cutscenes over gameplay and replay value. Gametrailers gave it a 6.3, saying that if approached as a game, Asura's Wrath will leave you wanting, but as a piece of multimedia, it's intriguing. On Metacritic, the game holds a 74 for the PS3 version and a 73 for the Xbox360 version. The user score given to the game at the site has been rather lower than the given by professional publications. Links *'^' http://ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1218975p1.html *'^' http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-asuras-wrath/727269 *'^' http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/asuras-wrath/critic-reviews *'^' http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/asuras-wrath/critic-reviews *'^' http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/asuras-wrath/user-reviews *'^' http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/asuras-wrath/user-reviews *Asura's Wrath Review *Official website (Japanese) *CyberConnect2's website (Japanese) Category:2012 video games Category:Most Wanted Games